Red eyes and a stuffy nose at the office may not be due to a cold — and sometimes plants can be a big help. Some poorly ventilated offices are teeming with allergens and irritants, which are spread all too effectively by air conditioning systems. But there’s a cure for the problem. Medical researchers have long known that plants in the office or living room not only improve the mood but also clean the air. Formaldehyde, benzene, and ammonia are toxins for us, but they're a feast for weeping figs, Monstera, and chrysanthemums. Plants also insulate against noise and regulate humidity.

Of course not everyone has a “green thumb.” And when the Ficus starts to lose its leaves, or pests burrow through the potting soil and the orchid behaves like a temperamental diva, many of us have no time or patience to care for the office greenery. “But for decades there’s been a great alternative that guarantees success even for the ‘black thumbs’ among us. It’s called hydroponics,” says Hans-Karl Soest. And he should know. At LANXESS, he’s responsible for a product that’s a key to planting methods that are as easy as riding a bike or watching television. The technique uses little balls of expanded clay instead of soil.